John Dixon's rare pictorial map of London's Underground stations follows in the tradition of MacDonald Gill's iconic "Wonderground Map," but with a splashy style all its own. Shakespeare says, "All the world's a stage" - well, here all of London is a stage, with the city appearing between parted curtains. Two towering Shakespearean actors with coats of arms fill the bottom corners. The map spans from Kensington Palace east to London Tower, and from Regent's Park and King's Cross Station south to Battersea Park and Vauxhall Gardens. Underground stations are identified by prominent red, white, and black circles. Notable locations are identified with cartoony architectural illustrations, and the landscape of the city is peppered with figures, many of them drawn to look like toys. Among the figures to be seen cavorting through London's streets are Sherlock Holmes and Watson, Charles Dickens, Fagin and Oliver Twist, Sir Thomas More, Thomas Carlyle, Father Thames and Father Neptune, the Canterbury pilgrims, cricket players, and the animals of the zoo. Printed in London by Waterlow & Sons, Ltd. Backed in linen.

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Condition: B

A vibrant example backed on linen with a number of small edge tears mostly at left and right that enter 1-2" into map image. The edges are also fraying, particularly at top and bottom. There is some minor cracking and small abrasions in the map image, minor chipping along an edge tear at left, and a small tear/partial chip in the top left corner.